Asylumdown's 275 Tank build

[asylumdown]

yep, the stand was definitely level, It was perfectly square and the floor it's sitting on is dead level too. I checked obsessively before and after they put the stucco on the outside of the house because the added weight can cause houses to settle a little (same reason this builder doesn't tile until after the stucco is on).

I think it's because the plywood is actually warped, which blows.

[The Grizz]

I don't get why the builder is laminating a 3" thick piece, I would have just used 3 - 1" sheets of plywood. Screw the first sheet to the top of the stand, 2nd sheet to the first and so on.

[Lance]

Originally Posted by The Grizz

I don't get why the builder is laminating a 3" thick piece, I would have just used 3 - 1" sheets of plywood. Screw the first sheet to the top of the stand, 2nd sheet to the first and so on.

Exactly! What is the big deal? If the stand is level, I certainly don't need to be a rocket scientist to add 3 sheets of 1" ply on top.

[phi delt reefer]

Originally Posted by The Grizz

I don't get why the builder is laminating a 3" thick piece, I would have just used 3 - 1" sheets of plywood. Screw the first sheet to the top of the stand, 2nd sheet to the first and so on.

asylumdown didnt want anything drilled into the stand which i think he should allow at this point to help cut his losses. You could just drive a couple screws through the high spots in the plywood to bring them down level with the low spot. Screwing into the stand shouldnt create any issues. I had to do the same on my stand (all wood) to lower some high spots in a slightly bowed piece of 1" plywood.


next time have the builders aclimate the plywood to the house for a couple weeks and make sure it sits perfectly flat. "fresh" wood from the lumber yard will do all sorts of wierd stuff until most of the moisture has come out of it.

[asylumdown]

Originally Posted by phi delt reefer

asylumdown didnt want anything drilled into the stand which i think he should allow at this point to help cut his losses. You could just drive a couple screws through the high spots in the plywood to bring them down level with the low spot. Screwing into the stand shouldnt create any issues. I had to do the same on my stand (all wood) to lower some high spots in a slightly bowed piece of 1" plywood.


next time have the builders aclimate the plywood to the house for a couple weeks and make sure it sits perfectly flat. "fresh" wood from the lumber yard will do all sorts of wierd stuff until most of the moisture has come out of it.

Heh, next time. That's actually really funny. 2.5 years and oh-my-god-how-much?! over budget, I hope to never move again. Building a house is not for the feint of heart.

I'll see what happened there today (I have been at school all day).

On another note entirely, I was in Red Coral in Edmonton on the weekend and saw their display tank with all Radions. Soooo glad I did as it made up my mind almost instantly. I love, love LOVE all the features of that little fixture, but man, it looked like I was looking at a tank with the dimmer switch set at 50%. Every time I would look away and then look back, I felt like my eyes were re-adjusting to a poorly lit room. I kept having to ask if the fixture was at 100% power. I know there's that whole bit about our eyes not being as sensitive to the dominant wavelengths in LEDs and all, and that the Radions can probably do a great job growing corals, but I care as much about how my tank looks to me as I do about how the corals respond, and the light the radion puts out just doesn't cut it for me.

Halides it is.

[lastlight]

Don't let them use glue! Otherwise they grab 3 flat pieces like Greg said level the first and mount the next to it win screws. No glue!

Haaaaalides

[Zoaelite]

Originally Posted by lastlight

Don't let them use glue! Otherwise they grab 3 flat pieces like Greg said level the first and mount the next to it win screws. No glue!

Haaaaalides are really stupid and I totally want to upgrade to LED's and be as cool as all the other people in the LED club.

Brett I totally agree with you man, I think Adam would love to join the LED club, it's a totally rad place to be!

On a side note Adam you have PM.

[lastlight]

Originally Posted by zoaElite

Brett I totally agree with you man, I think Adam would love to join the LED club, it's a totally rad place to be!

On a side note Adam you have PM.

The new Orphek DIF units sorta remind me of halides (I like the looks of those!). I'm not ruling out some high-tech single point light sources *some* day. But that's a buttload of paychecks away

Things are looking pretty damn slick there btw!

[fishytime]

Originally Posted by phi delt reefer

asylumdown didnt want anything drilled into the stand which i think he should allow at this point to help cut his losses. You could just drive a couple screws through the high spots in the plywood to bring them down level with the low spot. Screwing into the stand shouldnt create any issues. I had to do the same on my stand (all wood) to lower some high spots in a slightly bowed piece of 1" plywood.

thats what silicone is for

Originally Posted by phi delt reefer

next time have the builders aclimate the plywood to the house for a couple weeks and make sure it sits perfectly flat. "fresh" wood from the lumber yard will do all sorts of wierd stuff until most of the moisture has come out of it.

you could acclimate the plywood to the house for a year if you want, as soon as it gets exposed to a humid environment, like above a sump, all bets are off

[fishytime]

I understand why you wernt impressed with the radions over the display at RCE.... but in all fairness, the tank design and the way the light rack is built made it hard to get the lights hanging where they will do the most good......did you ever get over to see anyones tank that was lit by them?